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What does it cost to travel in Ecuador?

I am sure you are all wondering – how much are day to day expenses for a tourist in Ecuador?
You could really spend as little or as much money as you choose. There is definitely a huge gap between classes here as there are in most countries in regards to income, lifestyle, possessions, etc. An indigenous person who lives literally amidst the Andes or in the jungle obviously lives a VERY different life than a person from a city or town; it’s very evident.

Per request as I forgot to mention, the currency here is US dollars. The currency in Ecuador changed to US dollars in 2000. The currency prior to that was called the Sucre. Its value nosedived by 50% in just one week in the first week of January of 2000, to 25 000 sucre/$1US. Two days later “President Jamil Mahuad announced that the US dollar would be adopted as Ecuador’s official currency. Protests led to his removal. Vice President Gustavo Noboa became president, only to confirm the government’s commitment to dollarization.” Only coins continue to circulate in local currency as well as US coins.

So here are a few costs in Ecuador in US dollars:

Cerveza Grande (750ml beer) Pilsener or Club Verde are the choices – $1.10-$1.30 en la tienda (in the shop) or $2.00-$2.75 in restaurants or bars

Private Hotel/Hostel Room with bathroom – it ranges depending on what town – in Quito $20 and upwards – in Otavalo $10-$20 -Banos $5-$60 (for super fancy) but for an average backpacker average is $10-$20 really for a private room

Bus Rides – it seems to average $1 per hour, my 6 hour journey from Otavalo to Banos was $6 and the long-distance buses are great, they are coaches

Bike Rental – $7 for all day

Tours – there are jungle tours, rafting, volcano viewing, trekking, canyoning – it obviously varies but for one day tour of anything fun will set you back $20-50

Laundry – $1 per kilo – washed, dried and folded for you

On average I am probably spending about $30-$40 a day, depending on the day. Spanish lessons are setting me back a bit more lately but you still can’t beat the price for one-on-one lessons and it’s well worth it…hopefully, if I can get the hang of it.